NJ: “Former coach Derek Dooley’s latest campaign ad leans heavily on football language. But he should have thought otherwise, as own record as head coach leaves a lot to be desired.”
New reporting from NJ.com highlighted the irony of a new campaign video from failed and fired Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, where he claims “your film is your résumé” despite his own abysmal coaching record.
This reporting comes as Dooley has quickly found himself facing widespread ridicule for his own terrible resume.
NJ.com: GOP Senate hopeful, a failed football coach, has a message for opponent: ‘Your film is your resume’
By Manny Gómez 1/27/26
KEY POINTS:
- Former coach Derek Dooley’s latest campaign ad leans heavily on football language. But he should have thought otherwise, as own record as head coach leaves a lot to be desired.
- Across six seasons as a college head coach, Dooley put up a 32–41 record, between Louisiana Tech and the University of Tennessee.
- His tenure included a 17–20 mark at Louisiana Tech from 2004–07 and a 15–21 record at Tennessee from 2010–12, where the program never ranked.
- In the ad, Dooley argues that “your film is your resume” […]
- Dooley served as Senior Offensive Assistant and Tight Ends Coach with the Giants under head coach Joe Judge from 2020–2. That stint, too, didn’t inspire much in the area of coaching for Dooley.
- During Dooley’s two seasons there, the offense consistently ranked near the bottom of the league.
- In 2020, New York finished 31st out of 32 teams in total offense. The unit again ranked 31st in total yards in 2021 and fell to last in passing yards.
- Scoring production was similarly bad.
- The Giants averaged just 17.5 points per game in 2020, ranking 31st in the NFL, and declined further in 2021, scoring 15.2 points per game — again 31st league-wide. Advanced metrics echoed the struggles: in 2021, the Giants ranked 31st in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play.
- Those struggles resulted in major changes. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was fired midseason in 2021, and following the year, the Giants dismissed the entire coaching staff, including Judge and Dooley.
- Now running for Senate, Dooley is trying to cast himself as a results-oriented evaluator. He argues that Ossoff’s “film” disqualifies him from another term.
- But as Dooley’s own football resume shows…